Door-catch.



C. E. WADE.

DOOR CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED 1:50.17, 1912 1 1 20, 1 (O7, Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

2 SHEBTS SHEET l.

23 36 51m uenro'c CE M (eae.

THE NORRLS PE r1 m, c0 PHOTO LITHU WASHHIFJJH 0 r;

O. E. WADE.

DOOR CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED 1180.17, 1912.

1,126,101 Patented De0.8,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 CHARLES E. WADE, OF MASONVILLE, NEW YORK.

DOOR-CATCH.

Specification of Letters yatent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914:.

Lifitihltfl.

Application filed December 17,1912. Serial No. 737,296.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. WADE, citizen of the United States,residing at Masonville, in the county of Delaware and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Deer- Catches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in door catches, moreparticularly to devices of this character adapted to be employed inconnection with screen doors to temporarily hold the door in closedposition, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction andincrease the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructeddevice which will automatically engage the door with sutlicient force tohold the same closed against normal pressure such as that produced bythe wind, but which will yield to abnormal strains when the door is tobe opened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructeddevice with which a hook may be coupled to lock the door in closedposition.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction as hereafter shown and described, andthen specifically pointed out in the claims; and in the drawingsillustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 isan elevation of a portion of a door and casing and a portion of a screendoor viewed from the interior, with the improvement applied; Fig. 2 is atransverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fi 3 is an enlargedelevation of the improved device with a portion of a door frame andcasing, and with the door partly open and in section; Fig. 4 is asection on the line 41 of Fig. 1 with the door in the act of beingclosed; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. l with the door closed and thelocking hook applied; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the improvedattachment disposed in withdrawn or inoperative position.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The improved device is designed more particularly for a screen door toautomatically engage the same and hold it yieldably in closed position,but which may also be japplied to doors of other kinds, and likewise totransoms, cupboards and similar de vices, but for the pin-pose ofillustration is shown applied to a screen door representedconventionally at 10 and to the jamb represented at 11 and between thescreen door and the ordinary door represented at 19.

The improved device comprises a base 13 having outwardly directed sidesl t-15 spaced apart. The member 13-1l15 is constructed from a single newof sheet metal, preferably plate steel, out into shape by suitable diesor presses. One of the sides, for instance the side lat, is providedwith a reinforcing lip 16 bent over into parallel relation to theadjacent side. The sides L1 15, together with the reinforcing lip 16,form supporting ears through which a swinging arm is pivoted. The arm isformed of a single piece having a U-shaped or crank portion 17 and apivot 18 extending through the ear 1-1- and directed laterally at theopposite side as shown at 19 and pivoted through theother car 15 and thereinforcing lip 16. The portion 17 is thus in the form of a crank whichis free to swing upon its pivots 1S-19 between the sides 1 l-15. At itsouter end the portion 19 is extended in parallel relation to the member14 in the form of an arm as shown at 20. and bent into a loop '21, andwith an eye 29. at the inner end of the loop. The eye 22 is located inclose proximity to the portion 19, as shown. The base 13 is providedwith spaced clefts at its rear end whereby a tongue 23 is released andbent up to receive one terminal 24; of a spring 25, the oppositeterminal of the spring being coiled around the central portion of thecrank 17 as shown at '26. The central portion of the member 17 isdepressed slightly to receive the terminal. coil of the spring andprevent the latter from slipping sidewise. The pivots f.l-----lf) arelocated at some distance from the base 13 so that when the crank portion17 is turned into its forward position as in Fi 3-4: and 6, the strainwill be applied to the crank 17 below the pivots, or between the pivotsand the base 13 so that the loop 21 will be locked yieldably in itsforward position, and can be released only by outward movement of thearm 20 against the resistance of the spring 25. \Vhen the member 9 0 isthrown outwardly beyond the line of the pivots 1S---19 the spring willthrow the arm 20 to the rear as shown in Fig. 5, the object to be here rexplained. The base 13 with its attachments, will be secured to the jamb'll of the door.

Attached to the screen door 10 is a staple device 27, the staple beingdesigned to engage against the outer end of the smaller loop 22 as thedoor is closed and displace the arm 20 and move the spring 25 out of itslocking position and cause it to throw the longer arm 20 outwardly andthrough the staple, shown in Fig. 5, and hold the door yieldably closed.The spring 25 will be of sufficient strength to hold the door closedagainst ordinary pressure such as that exerted by the wind, but willyield and permit the door to be opened when a relatively strong pullingforce from the'outside or a pushing force from the inside is applied tothe door. Vhen the door is thus forcibly opened, the outward movement ofthe staple 27 will throw the longer arm :20 outwardly and into theposition shown in Figs. 3 and 4%, thereby distending the spring 25 andcausing it to lock the longer arm in outward position, as beforedescribed, and automatically setting the device ready to be againengaged by the staple 27 when the door is again closed. It will thus benoted that it is not necessary to manually manipulate the parts eitherin closing or opening the door.

A 11001; 28 is connected by a screw eye 29 to the jamb 11 in position tobe engaged in the loop 21 when the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 5.By this means the door may be positively locked in closed position whenrequired. 7

The staple 2'? is preferably provided with inwardly extending lateraleyes 30 to receive holding screws whereby the staple is secured to thedoor. The staple 27 is likewise provided with a roller 31 to reduce thefriction between the parts and cause the device, to operate with greaterease.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, a member having an eye at one endand adapted to be pivoted at the other end to a stationary support andprovided with. a'lateral extension spaced from its pivot,'a trip deviceincluding a loop and adapted to be connected to a movable support, aspring operating to yieldably maintain said extension In the path ofsaid trip device and likewise operating to maintain said pivoted memberin yieldable engagement with the trip device and extending through theloop of the same, and a locking device adapted to be connected to astationary support in'position to engage the'eye of the pivoted member.j

2. A device of the class described comprising a base having outstandingears with one of the ears bent over upon itself and with perforationsthrough the ears and likewise through thebent over portion, a membermounted for rotation through'said ears and the bent over portion thereofand formed into a crank between the ears and into having a lateral armexternally of the bent over portion and extending in parallelrelation'to the crank, said arm having a lateral extension spaced fromthe crankedmember,

a trip device adapted to be connected to a movable support and inposition to engage the lateral extension, and a spring connectedrespectively tothe crank and to the base and operating to hold the armyieldably in its projected position and likewise to hold the arm in itswithdrawn position.

3. A support adapted to be secured to a stationary structure, an armpivoted at one end and having a lateral projection between its free endand its pivoted end, a spring connected to said support and to said armand operating to yieldably maintain said arm in both open and closedposition, a member having a transverse openmg and adapted to beconnected to a movable structure and engaging said lateral promotion toswing the free end of said arm through the opening in the movablemember.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two w1tnesses.

CHARLES E. WADE. [L.S.]

Witnesses: V

CLARENCE H. BEACH, Goon) DEAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

